Manas Is the Co-existing Support of Mind Consciousness

Co-existent support (sahabhū-āśraya) means that two or more dharmas are together; "co-existent" means they are together from birth, present together at the moment of birth; "support" means dependence — where this exists, that exists; this dharma depends on that dharma in order to arise and exist.

Some say that the five faculties are the co-existent support of the mind consciousness, which would mean that the five faculties are a necessary condition for the arising of the mind consciousness — without the five faculties, there would be no mind consciousness, and wherever there is mind consciousness, the five faculties must be present. But is this actually the case? In terms of the forms of sentient beings, many sentient beings do not have the five faculties, yet they still possess mind consciousness. For example, the devas of the formless realm, and the bodhisattvas and great arhats who manifest without bodies, and so on — they all have mind consciousness but no five faculties. The solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta) of all sentient beings does not depend on the five faculties to arise and exist; in profound meditative concentration (dhyāna), when the mind consciousness emerges outside the body, it can still discern sense objects without needing the five faculties. Therefore, the five faculties are not the co-existent support of the mind consciousness; the co-existent support of the mind consciousness is the eighth consciousness, the manas, and the seeds.

The mind consciousness requires very few conditions to arise, so it arises easily and also ceases easily. The five consciousnesses all cease and no longer exist in meditative concentration at the second dhyāna and above, whereas the mind consciousness only ceases in the concentration of no perception (asaṃjñi-samāpatti) and in the cessation of perception and feeling (nirodha-samāpatti). Therefore, the co-existent support of the mind consciousness is not the five faculties, nor the five consciousnesses, but the manas. The manas is the root from which the mind consciousness can arise; the mind consciousness depends on the manas in order to arise and operate. Only after the manas has attended (manaskāra) and made its determination (adhimokṣa) can the mind consciousness arise; otherwise it cannot arise. Therefore, the mind consciousness is always accompanied by the manas, serving the manas, and also regulating and perfuming the manas. But the manas does not necessarily accompany the mind consciousness, and is not necessarily together with it; there are many instances when the manas exists alone — sleep is just such a case.